


Crenberries.

by ASporkFullOfBeans



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, M/M, Mute Link, Non-Verbal Link, Sidon doesn't know what cats are, Sign Language, Zora's Domain is gonna become a zoo if you keep showing him baby animals, careful Link, for real this time, he's missed out on kittens for over one hundred years, how sad is that, its actually filled with adorable animals, let him live okay, someone help this poor fisn man, theyre important, you thought the real problem was the lake overflowing, your prince needs them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 23:33:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10932315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASporkFullOfBeans/pseuds/ASporkFullOfBeans
Summary: This is hands down theworstmistake he's ever made.Yes, worse than deciding to try to ride Farosh.Worse than thinking it would be a good idea to try to tame a Guardian. (Shockingly enough, you can't bribe them with apples like horses…)And yes, worse than paragliding off of the tower and trying to land into a shield surf, only to have it snap in two under his weight and roll thirty feet down hill into a icy Lizalfos camp. That one at least, Link's sure, looked cool, so it really doesn't count if you think about it.---In which Link must stay strong in the face of cuteness and fails miserably.





	Crenberries.

This is hands down the _worst_ mistake he's ever made.

Yes, worse than deciding to try to ride Farosh.

Worse than thinking it would be a good idea to try to tame a Guardian. (Shockingly enough, you can't bribe them with apples like horses…)

And yes, worse than paragliding off of the tower and trying to land into a shield surf, only to have it snap in two under his weight and roll thirty feet down hill into a icy Lizalfos camp. That one at least, Link's sure, looked cool, so it really doesn't count if you think about it.

This however, _does not_ look cool.

"Please, Link?"

It looks _adorable._

"Can we keep her?" Sidon looks at him with big ol' wide golden eyes, lip pouting as he holds up the kitten. His red tail wags almost like the stable dog's and the kitten, goddess be damned, works with him by pawing at Link.

 

It all started one fine day, like any other in the Domain. Opening with a light rain followed by clear skies and sunshine. Link's idea of a nice morning was laying on top of Sidon and flipping through the near endless pictures on the Sheikah Slate, while the dusting of rainwater pattered the windows.

_"This is Kass."_ Link introduced Sidon to the accordion playing Rito, or an image of him anyway. He'd met him several times along his journey and had taken to photographing him nearly every time they met. _"His music is beautiful."_

"Ah, yes the Rito are known for making such wonders. I'd love to hear it one day." Sidon commented idly while Link made plans to ask Kass about a trip to the Domain the next time he saw him. The Prince more concerned with nuzzling at Link's hair and rubbing small circles into his sides. Basking in the weight of the Hylian on his chest before he takes off on another adventure.

Link moved to tap the screen again to find another good picture to share when Sidon's hands stopped and he spoke up. "What's that, in the corner there?" He lifted a hand to point a claw at the bottom left part of the screen. One of the barn cats, named Benny by one of the kids, glared at the Sheikah slate as Link had taken the picture.

_"Benny, she's Lawdon's."_ Link explained. Benny the cat wasn't a very nice feline. A red short haired thing with a white chest and belly and a low tolerance level. Link only managed to pet her twice and neither time unscathed.

"What's a Benny?"

The words made Link tilt his head up to shoot Sidon a questioning look. _"She's not a Benny. That's her name."_

A bit of a blush darkened the Zora's cheeks. "What is she?" The tentative question had Link's heart aching in two ways. One, the Prince just looked so cute bashfully asking about creatures outside of his Domain. Two, the fact that Sidon had no idea what a cat was.

_"She's a cat. They're like the opposite of dogs."_ Link had explained, zooming in a bit on the left corner of the image once his hands were free.

Sidon's mouth made a little o shape as he looked down at the slate. "So _that's_ what cats look like." He had hummed.

 

That of _course_ had Link rushing them to the Wetlands Stables to visit Benny, only to find her nowhere to be seen. When asking Lawdon where the cat was, they were lead into the stable stalls and to an empty one.

There Benny lay in the loose hay, ears back as she licked a mewling bundle of fur. Her resting expression of looking sort of annoyed greeting them as Sidon gasped beside him and whispered "They're so small." under his breath.

Now however, Sidon's gotten _attached._ This was just supposed to be a learning experience. A free day to try to pet a cat and not walk away with too many scratches.

But _noo_ , the Goddess had other plans apparently. Like throwing a basket full of kittens at them and putting Link in the worst position possible.

Five kittens to be exact. Two red like Benny with varying amounts of white, one mostly black with spots of white on its paws, one brown with stripes, and the last cradled in Sidon's big hands. A tiny bundle of mewling fluff in three colors that looks like someone just mixed all together and slapped onto it and called it done.

The majority of the little thing's fur is black and red fighting against each other in splotches, leaving only a bit of white around its face and neck. The faintest of stripes lay under the chaos of tortoiseshell pattern, showing mostly on the tiny kitten's face, rivaled by green eyes.

"Please?" Sidon begs, and the Goddess really is laughing at him now because the _fucking kitten_ meows in the same exact pleading tone as his boyfriend.

_"No."_ Link signs for the umpteenth time. He is strong, he can do this. He's killed hoards of Bokoblins, hundreds of Moblins, tens of Lynels and even a few Guardians. He can say no to the responsibility of a kitten no matter how cute it is seated in Sidon's hands.

And Lawdon is _not helping_. "Cats really aren't that much work." They comment idly, leaning against the post of the stall. They're the one that thrust the tiny bundle of adorable into Sidon's hands to begin with as he was too afraid to touch them himself, not wanting to risk breaking them. Also of course not wanting to risk angering Benny, something Lawdon is apparently incapable of doing somehow.

_"No."_ Link signs again, a bit more forcefully. They can't take care of a cat. Link isn't even at the Domain half the time and when he is, he's recovering from being Lizalfos food. _Besides_ , Sidon's in training to run an entire Kingdom.

They don't have time for a cat.

"Benny here practically takes care of herself, stopped feeding her entirely. Now if only we could get the dog to do that." Lawdon, unhelpfully muses with a hum.

"Link." Sidon says, willing a serious face that's entirely too fragile as he shuffles forward a bit from his crouched spot near the kittens. "Look at them."

_"I see them, Sidon."_ He huffs. They're adorable and soft and fluffy and his resolve is already half crumbled by them, getting weaker and weaker the longer the conversation goes.

"Plus, if you introduce them to things early they won't even mind. There's a cat down by Riverside that just loves the water. Benny here though'll claw your eyes out if you even threaten her with a cup of it." Lawdon laughs.

Sidon only looks that much more hopeful. "The kitten can stay with me! I'll keep it in my chambers and it'll be safe and warm." The Prince insists, despite his title and royal adornments he pleads like a child.

_"Sidon."_ Link tries, whining a bit because he knows this is a losing battle. Technically, if Sidon wanted, he could just take all five kittens. He's a Prince, nobody but King Dorephan really gets to tell him what he can or can't do.

" _Link_." Sidon himself whines. "Look at the kitten." He holds out the little mottled fluffball to him, cradled in his hands. During the argument the poor  thing's nearly gone to sleep, chest rumbling with little purrs.

When Link does look though, it cracks it's little eyes open and stares back at him. _"This isn't fair."_ He signs as he tries his best not to fall under the adorable thing's spell.

The kitten mewls at him and by goddess his heart can't take it. _"You're conspiring against me."_ He insists. There's no way they aren't as the little kitten reaches a paw out and claws at the air in a stretch, tiny toes splaying apart as their already fluffy fur puffs up more.

Link has to look away and what he finds isn't much better. Sidon's grinning at him, tail still wagging like an idiot. "Link?" The prince asks hopefully.

He buries his face in his hands and groans, Lawdon - the asshole, only laughs at his misery. "If it helps, the tortoiseshell's a girl and we've been calling her Crenel."

Sidon, of course, only seems to perk up more. "What are the rest of their names?"

Link only hopes they can walk away with just one kitten instead of the entire litter. "The red ones are both boys, named Zelo and Trilby. The black one is a girl named Thims and the brown one is another girl named Floret." Lawdon supplies helpfully, each of the kittens named after nearby landmarks around the stable.

Sidon nudges him and Link gives up. Last surviving Champion of Hyrule, chosen to wield the Master Sword, tamer of Divine Beasts and slayer of monsters. He's no match for his begging boyfriend and a cute kitten. _"One. You can have one kitten."_ He allows.

The Prince grins impossibly wider, pointed teeth shown off as he juggles the kitten to one hand and throws his now free arm around Link. "She's perfect." He decides, stroking a thumb over her back while she purrs.

"I'll go get some milk." Lawdon chuckles, stepping around the defeated Champion and back towards the stable's main building.

_"I hate you."_ Link writes out against Sidon's chest as he peers at the bundle that is their new little kitten.

Sidon only grins. "Thank you, Link." He mumbles into blonde hair, kissing the top of his head until Link tilts his head up for a real kiss.

_"You're lucky you're cute."_ He writes, pecking Sidon on the lips once more before curling against his chest and looking down at the addition to their relationship - their family. _"You're lucky_ she's _cute."_

"Isn't she just." The Zora agrees, grinning once more. "Crenel." The kitten mews at her name and Link's heart sings at Sidon's laugh.

Soon enough, Lawdon returns with two bottles of milk that Link makes Sidon hold as he makes grabby hands for the kitten.

Finally getting to hold her, he cradles her to his chest and looks down at her. Her tiny claws poke through the fabric of his tunic as she kneads at him. Link rubs at her tiny head with his fingers and gets flicked by her ears in response, followed by a mewl that he can't really tell is happy or annoyed. Biting back a smile he keeps bothering her, petting around her fluffy ears and getting swatted at by them again and again.

Above him and out of the plane of kitten existence, Lawdon gives Sidon a crash course on cats and how to care for them. They also promise that they're just a letter away and can always try to offer advice if asked for it.

Sidon thanks them endlessly and brings Link back to the real world by offering a hand to him to help him stand. Giving Crenel a much needed break from annoying her with pets, Link takes the help.

"Do let me know if I can get another one of these little devils into Zora's Domain." Lawdon winks at Sidon.

_"No."_ Link raises a hand high to sign, making it very clear for Sidon to see. One is bad enough. Every parent in the kingdom is going to be swamped with children begging for kittens and puppies and it's entirely Sidon's fault, he's sure.

The prince pouts once more and Lawdon sends them off with a laugh, shooing them out of the stable under a mock stern complaint that if they're only going to take one of the kittens off their hands they don't have the right to loiter about. Sidon, of course blames Link for not being a valued customer, and the Hylian gets revenge by stealing the kitten for the walk back to the Domain.

As soon as they're on the path, the prince as a sudden epiphany. "She's a little Crenberry!" He grins at the bundle's new nickname.

Link however, only shoots him a confused glance. _"You mean a Cranberry?"_

"Is that not how you pronounce it?" Sidon asks, shifting his hold on the bottles of milk.

_"C-r-a-n-berry."_ Link spells out, emphasizing the a and snorting at the Zora's soft 'oh' sound. _"She can be a Cren-berry though."_ He offers, stepping over a smallish bolder on the path. The movement jostles Crenel and she twitches in her sleep.

"Our little Crenberry." Sidon coos, grinning down at Link and the kitten.

Together the two walk hand in hand down the safe-for-now path to Zora's domain, Link wriggling out of the hold every now and then to make conversation or to smooth down Crenel's fur. Next blood moon the road will have to be cleared out once more, but for now the prince of the sea and hero of the land are content to stroll homewards with their new fluffy daughter in tow.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this isn't the continuation of The Waterfall Incident of 2k17 but it is cute and I wanted to share c:  
> Lawdon goes by they/them bc stable owners look really androgynous sometimes and I don't want to assume
> 
> Also, image references <3  
> Benny - https://www.hsdayton.org/images/hsdayton/miscellaneous/barncat.jpg  
> Crenel (pronouced Kren-L | Once she's grown up) - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Feral_cat_Virginia_crop.jpg/1200px-Feral_cat_Virginia_crop.jpg
> 
> I also like to imagine that Cren absolutely hates water at first.
> 
> PS, visit me on Tumblr <3 https://hero-of-climb.tumblr.com/


End file.
